love running, but hate cramps!

So I've fallen in love with running, and have built up a pretty good pace in the past few weeks. But man oh man, do the cramps slow me down! I always get it on the right side of my abdomen and then i have to slow down and walk for a bit before I can start running again. Does anybody know any tricks to lessen the severity or get rid of them? I don't know what causes it. And you people are so smart, so I need your help.

Thanks!!

Okay - here's my weird advice and what's worked for me.

I can't eat less than 2 hours before I run - even a gummy bear. If I do - cramp city!

If I do get a cramp, I lift up the arm opposite of the side the cramp is on and I also fill my lungs with air and blow out quickly like I'm blowing out a birthday candle, over and over until it's gone. Works every time.

i love running too and also cramp on my right side after a while

I read somewhere that those cramps are your diaphragm spasming from the extra hard breathing? (Sounds crazy, I have no idea). I did try and take a few really deep breaths and held them the last time I had a "stitch" and it lessened the pain greatly. Who knows, it could have been luck though lol. I try and do alot of trunk twists before running to help loosen up my core too.

There's a whole bunch of things that can cause cramps, but the main one is improper breathing. It's easy to start breathing really fast and shallow when running or to hunch over as you get tired, but to get the best results you have to stand up straight, breath deeply and fill up all the space in your lungs. Make sure you have good posture when you run and try to take deep breaths that go all the way to the bottom of your lungs, then let them out slowly through your nose or through pursed lips. If you get a cramp slow down your pace and focus on your breathing for a little while, and hopefully it will go away and you won't have to slow all the way down to a walk.

Depleted electrolytes and dehydration can also cause problems. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water and/or salty fluids like gatorade. When I ran track my pre-race snack was always a banana (they are loaded with potassium!) and although I'm not sure how medically sound that is, it seemed to help.

Agree with the empty stomach.

Also you mentioned you recently started piling on the miles, maybe you went to fast to soon.

The cardio often builds faster then your muscles do.

Slow and steady wins the race of progression.

So I've fallen in love with running, and have built up a pretty good pace in the past few weeks. But man oh man, do the cramps slow me down! I always get it on the right side of my abdomen and then i have to slow down and walk for a bit before I can start running again. Does anybody know any tricks to lessen the severity or get rid of them? I don't know what causes it. And you people are so smart, so I need your help.

Thanks!!

Okay - here's my weird advice and what's worked for me.

I can't eat less than 2 hours before I run - even a gummy bear. If I do - cramp city!

If I do get a cramp, I lift up the arm opposite of the side the cramp is on and I also fill my lungs with air and blow out quickly like I'm blowing out a birthday candle, over and over until it's gone. Works every time.

exactly what i was gonna say!! great minds think alike.

you have to work out what works for you with regards to eating and running, some people can't eat for up to 4 hours before a run. happy running!